Bearded dragons regularly top the lists of “most popular reptile pet.” What’s not to love? They look like tiny, well, dragons. They are notoriously clingy and cuddly. They aren’t picky about their food. Did we mention cuddly? But then what do you do when your beardie doesn’t want to cuddle and snuggle with you? You ask the animal communicator, of course!

Dear Shannon,

My kids saw a bearded dragon at a local pet store and thought it looked just like the dragons on Game of Thrones. So of course, they wanted one. And while at first, I wasn’t thrilled about adding a reptile to our family, my kids finally won me over after showing me videos of other beardies cuddling with their owners. 

Our bearded dragon, Drogon, was super-cuddly when he first came home with us. But now, at two years old, he has become less and less willing to snuggle with us. He likes to sit near us on the couch when we watch television or be in his enclosure watching us from a little way away. But when anyone goes to get him out, he will immediately move away or, if he does come out, he will find a place nearby to sit instead of sitting on us like he used to do.

My kids are quickly losing interest because Drogon just isn’t that sociable anymore so they can’t show him off to all their friends. Luckily for him, I’m thoroughly smitten. But I’m sad he doesn’t want to snuggle or even sit on me. What are we doing wrong? I’m just worried that something happened to him, or he got hurt and now he doesn’t trust us anymore.

Sincerely,

Alyssa, Drogon’s (human) mom

Shannon’s reply:

Hi Alyssa,

Thank you for reaching out to me about the changes you are noticing in Drogon’s behavior. You sound like a very caring and committed pet parent and Drogon is a lucky boy.

As an animal communicator, the value I add comes from my ability to share Drogon’s perspective with you, which we will talk about next. But since you mention significant behavior changes and your fear that Drogon may have gotten hurt, I just want to mention up front that animal communication isn’t meant to be a substitute or replacement for veterinary care. So I would also recommend that you have Drogon’s exotic veterinarian do an exam if you haven’t already done this.

Since you mention Drogon is about two years old, it also feels worth mentioning that male bearded dragons like Drogon typically reach sexual maturity between one and two years of age. And male beardies can go through a kind of “puberty” period where they become more anxious, pseudo-aggressive or just skittish. Mention this to your exotic veterinarian as well and have it checked out during Drogon’s exam.

Now, on to my conversation with Drogon. The first thing your boy shared with me was an image of him dressed in a cap and gown and holding a diploma. The associated emotion that came with this image was one of pride. The message he wants me to convey to you is this: Drogon sees himself not as a cuddly baby anymore but as a fully grown young man now.

As an animal communicator, one of the ways I get messages from animals is when my own emotional state changes suddenly in response to a question I ask. For example, when I asked Drogon how he feels about you and your kids, I suddenly began to feel escalating anxiety.

When I asked Drogon to explain more about this, he showed me him surrounded by humans who were all reaching for him all at once. My anxiety got stronger. So I asked him to show me how to ease his anxiety. Drogon then showed me an image of one human lifting him out of his enclosure and handling him and everyone else staying farther back. At this, I began to feel less anxious. Perhaps your kids and their friends coming at him all at once are just too much for this little dragon?

When I asked Drogon where his favorite place to be in the house is, he showed me an image of himself sitting on the back of the couch next to you at about shoulder height. He then moved onto your shoulder and then back off again. The emotion was one of closeness and affection – it does appear that out of all the family members, Drogon feels closest to and most bonded with you.

Finally, when I asked him to tell me about his habitat, he sent me a mini-movie of you carrying him back to an enclosure that appeared to fill up a whole room in your home. You don’t mention the size of Drogon’s current enclosure, but from this image it does feel like Drogon may be ready for a “big boy” enclosure if you haven’t upgraded him already. 😊

Alyssa, I hope this information is helpful and supportive to you, to your kids and most of all to your relationship with Drogon and his with you. Please keep in touch and let me know how Drogon is feeling and doing.

From my heart,

Shannon